Frequently asked questions
What is Hypnobirthing?
Hypnobirthing is the use of Hypnosis or Self-hypnosis during pregnancy and labour. Hypnosis uses the power of the language and imagery to communicate to your subconscious mind and give you suggestions through Hypnosis Scripts. This will relax you and enable you to receive all the positive suggestions made to your subconscious in order to help you achieve a calm, confident and empowered birth. Like with any skill, relaxing with Hypnobirthing Scripts require daily practice and the more you do it the easier it will become for you to relax and use all the birthing capacities you have been naturally equipped with (mentally and physically).As stated by Katherine Graves in the 1st Chapter of The Hypnobirthing Book
“Hypnobirthing enables a woman to work with her body which is naturally designed to give birth. It releases the fear and negativity that she has been programmed with from an early age (everyone knows that birth is painful, don’t they?) and replaces it with calm confidence. A mother who uses hypnobirthing will often say that giving birth was the most wonderful and empowering experience of her life.”
Why KG Hypnobirthing?
KG Hypnobirthing is a complete antenatal programme that teaches women how to use the power of Hypnosis to achieve a calm, confident birth. It also gives you all the information needed to make an informed choice and how to look for this information so you can work in a partnership with your healthcare providers and make the right choices for you and your baby. KG Hypnobirthing is the original UK Hypnobirthing programme and has been designed for the UK maternity care system. It is always improving and keeping up to date with any changes and all the KG Hypnobirthing Teachers are fully qualified after training in an RCM(Royal College of Midwives) accredited course.You can always check for yourself what the press is saying about KG Hypnobirthing!
Is Hypnobirthing for me?
Hypnobirthing is for every one wishing to relax and let go of fear during pregnancy and birth. No matter how you are giving birth there is always benefits to learning how to use relaxation and breathing techniques for your special day. The course will also give you a wealth of information that will guide you through all the decision making during pregnancy and birth. Learning how the power of words and how your mind works when given suggestions will be an invaluable lesson for pregnancy, birth and beyond whatever your situation.If you want to hear more please check out this video of Katherine Graves on how to achieve a Hypnobirth (the basic points)
How does Hypnobirthing works?
Hypnobirthing works by teaching the expectant mother how to use her mind/body connection for birthing her baby. It teaches women how to relax for birth in order to allow her body to use of all the natural resources that she has for birth. With the relaxation scripts and positive suggestions along with the breathing techniques, the birthing mother will work mentally and physically in symphony in order to achieve a calm and natural birth. It will help the mother break with fear and negativity towards birth and give her baby the best start in life in a calm and positive way.Check out this video of a Hypnobirthing mother talking about the birth of her second baby at home.
What is Tokophobia and how can Hypnobirthing help?
Tokophobia is a deep fear of anxiety of pregnancy and birth. 1 in 10 women in the UK have Tokophobia and can happen to first time mothers as well as in subsequent pregnancies. If a woman experiences a traumatic birth experience, a difficult pregnancy or abuse she might suffer from Tokophobia afterwards, fearing for her life or her baby’s life. Hypnobirthing can help to let go of this fear and anxiety and give the woman the capacity to feel in control again and confident on her natural ability to give birth calmly and safely.
For a quick view about this topic check out this BBC report about Hypnobirthing to ease Tokophobia
How is the KG Hypnobirthing Course structured?
The KG Hypnobirthing Course is divided in 4 Sessions, each session usually lasts between 2-3 hours for a total of 10-12 hours of learning.
First Session: We get to know each other and talk about the logic behind KG Hypnobirthing and any worries and hopes you have for labour. I will explain what is Hypnosis and how the mind works and why the power of words is so important. We will look into the basic physical aspects of birth and how this connects with your mind. At the end of the session we do a relaxation script. You will also get your copy of the Hypnobirthing Book by Katherine Graves and your Course notes to help you practice for your birth.
Second Session: I will teach you breathing techniques to use during labour with matching visualisations. We will do some relaxation practice and talk about the positions for birth. By the end of this session you will get to see a wonderful birth video!
Third Session: We will cover a series of topics to get you ready for the big day. This will include: which are your options for birth, how your birth partner can be your continuity of care and your primary support. What is the role of each of your healthcare providers and how to interact effectively with them. How will you know if you are in labour? And to finish we will do a relaxation.
Fourth Session: It will be all about the birth! Difference between birth settings, stages of labour and what to expect and also what you can do in every stage to achieve a calm, confident birth. We will do a couple of lovely Hypnobirthing Scripts and then watch some more wonderful birth videos! On this last session you will also receive a favour bag from Amiga Birth as a thank you for letting me be part of your maternity experience.
I can also offer a Fast Track version of the course in a 2 Session Course of 5 hours of learning each session, which means 2 Sessions will be covered each day.
For a different arrangement in time and length please contact me to tailor the course to your needs.
What happens if my birth plans changed? How can I apply my Hypnobirthing learning to other birth situations?
Hypnobirthing preparation and all the knowledge acquired during the course will give you all the tools for any birth situation. Sometimes during pregnancy and birth we might encounter new challenges but with the help of Hypnobirthing and getting all the information needed, you can adapt and plan for a new and satisfying experience for you and your baby. There are always options to get a fulfilling birth experience even if things are not exactly conventional. The relaxation tapes will give you reassurance and help you cope with any changes that arise during this important period of your family life.If having a planned C-section, you can still use the benefits of Hypnobirthing for your labour and recovery in the form of the relaxation tapes. You can find more information on Gentle C-sections or Mother Centered C-sections in Chapter 11 of The Positive Birth Book by Milli Hill, founder of The Positive Birth Movement.
Why is important to have a birth partner?
It is ideal to have a birth partner during labour. Your birth partner should be well prepared and get all the knowledge along with you before the big day arrives. This will ensure that your birth partner will know how to give you all the support you need during that important time and at the same time will be your liaison with the outside world (healthcare professionals, etc) once you have entered into your Hypnobirthing bubble. This effectively will give the mother the continuity of care she needs in the shape of a loved one. Your birth partner will also help you with your birth and relaxation techniques and will make you comfortable during surges. The strong bond between you and your birth partner can make for a great experience for all the parties involved during your birth. You can choose whoever you think is ideal for you for this role (ex: daddy’s father, your mum, your sister, etc) but the most important thing when choosing is that you have to be comfortable and completely trust this person and that your chosen birth partner will be as committed as you regarding your birth preparation.Watch this short video of a Partner talking about his Hypnobirthing experience:
What happens if I do the course alone?
If you are in a situation that no partner can attend your birth or your birth partner can not attend the course, don’t worry, you can still have a wonderful labour! You have to prepare well and practice as much as you can and you can also enrol the help of a Doula.
Doulas are the perfect birth partner since they are usually women that had birth themselves and are experienced in how to interact with your healthcare providers. Also, a local Doula will be well versed in how things work at your local hospital if having a hospital birth and will also support you after the baby is born as well.
I will also be more than glad to be your birth partner at no extra cost if you need me!
Does the Hypnobirthing Practitioner support ends with the course?
Being a part of you and your baby’s birth experience is a huge privilege to me so I would like to think that our relationship will not end with the birth. As a mother myself I am always glad to offer support to other mothers, so you can contact me anytime you need after your baby is born. I am also a Facilitator for The Positive Birth Movement,Walthamstow which is a great platform to meet other mums in the area and to keep up to date in all things birth. For more information about the free monthly meetings please check: https://www.facebook.com/pbme17/